Maritime robotics start-up, ScrubMarine, has secured $1m in funding to develop a new system to clean and inspect ship hulls.
The Whitehaven firm said that the pre-seed funding will enable it to develop an autonomous robot to tackle shipping’s $100bn fuel problem – helping operators cut emissions and improve safety.
21-year-old robotics engineer, Rohith Devanathan explained that he founded the company to solve the challenge of biofouling – the accumulation of marine growth from molluscs, crustaceans and slime on ship hulls. This can increase fuel consumption by up to 40%, which costs global shipping more than $100bn.
“With fuel costs rising and emissions regulations tightening, hull maintenance has become a critical issue for operators worldwide,” he said.
“Being based in Whitehaven gives us access to strong engineering capability while building technology that can be deployed globally.”
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The fundraise was led by PXN Ventures and SFC Capital. Other strategic investors in the round include Graham Westgarth, former President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Colin Greene, a former Apple regional chief executive.
ScrubMarine will use the funding to complete its prototype and expand its engineering team in Whitehaven and Edinburgh.
“The Turtle” is a compact robot, which removes biofouling without damaging protective coatings while capturing inspection data. A second autonomous surface platform, “the Whale,” will enable deployment and recovery without divers or port infrastructure, reducing risk and enabling more frequent maintenance.
“This investment allows us to accelerate development and move towards the first pilots with major operators,” continued Devanathan.
“Our goal is to make underwater maintenance safer, more efficient and fully data-driven.”
Jess Jackson, PraeSeed lead at PXN Ventures, added:
“ScrubMarine is a strong example of the kind of innovative, globally scalable business emerging from the North. With Northern Powerhouse backing, the team is well placed to build advanced robotics capability in Cumbria while serving international markets.”
